Project Closure

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Student Version

Copyright © 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

McGraw-Hill/Irwin

Where We Are Now

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Major Tasks of Project Closure

1.  Evaluate if the project delivered the expected benefits to all stakeholders. •  Was the project managed well?

•  Was the customer satisfied?

2.  Assess what was done wrong and what contributed to successes.

3.  Identify changes to improve the delivery of future projects.

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Project Monitoring Components

•  A review of why the project was selected. •  A reassessment of the project’s role

in the organization’s priorities. •  A check on the organizational culture to ensure it

facilitates the type of project being implemented.

•  An assessment of how well the project team is functioning well and if its is appropriately staffed.

•  A check on external factors that might change where the project is heading or its importance.

•  A review of all factors relevant to the project and to managing future projects.

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Project Closure

•  Types of Project Closure – Normal – Premature – Perpetual – Failed Project – Changed Priority

•  Close-out Plan: Questions to be Asked – What tasks are required

to close the project? – Who will be responsible

for these tasks? – When will closure begin

and end? – How will the project be

delivered?

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Implementing Closedown

1.  Getting delivery acceptance from the customer.

2.  Shutting down resources and releasing to new uses.

3.  Reassigning project team members.

4.  Closing accounts and paying all bills.

5.  Evaluating the project team, project team members, and the project manager.

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Creating the Final Report

•  Executive Summary – Project goals met/unmet – Stakeholder satisfaction

with project – User reactions to quality

of deliverables

•  Analysis – Project mission and

objective – Procedures and

systems used – Organization resources

used

•  Recommendations – Technical improvements – Corrective actions

•  Lessons Learned – Reminders – Retrospectives

•  Appendix – Backup data – Critical information

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Pre-Implementation Conditions: Team

•  Are standards and goals for measuring performance clear, challenging, and attainable? Lead to positive consequences?

•  Are responsibilities and performance standards known by all team members?

•  Are team rewards adequate? Management believes teams are important?

•  Is there a career path for successful project managers •  Does the team have discretionary authority to manage

short-term difficulties?

•  Is there a high level of trust within the organization culture?

•  Are there criteria beyond time, cost, and specifications?

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Project Performance Evaluation: Individual

• Performance Assessment Responsibilities: – Functional organization or functional matrix: the

individual’s area manager. • The area manager may solicit the project manager’s opinion

of the individual’s performance on a specific project.

– Balanced matrix: the project manager and the area manager jointly evaluate an individual’s performance.

– Project matrix and project organizations: the project manager is responsible for appraising individual performance.

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Conducting Performance Reviews

•  Begin by asking the individual to evaluate his or her own performance.

•  Avoid drawing comparisons with other team members; rather, assess the individual in terms of established standards and expectations.

•  Focus criticism on specific behaviors rather than on the individual personally.

•  Be consistent and fair in treatment of all team members.

•  Treat the review as one point in an ongoing process.

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Individual Performance Assessment

• Multirater appraisal (“360-degree feedback) – Involves soliciting feedback concerning team

members’ performance from all of the people that their work affects.

• Project managers, area managers, peers, subordinates, and customers.

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Retrospectives

• Lessons Learned – An analysis carried out during and shortly after the

project life cycle to capture positive and negative project learning—“what worked and what didn’t?”

• Goals of Retrospectives – To reuse learned solutions – To stop repetitive mistakes

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Retrospectives (cont’d)

• Barriers to Organizational Learning – Lack of post-project time for developing lessons – No post-project direction or support for teams – Lessons become blame sessions – Lessons are not applied in other locations – Organizational culture does not recognize

value of learning

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Initiating the Retrospective Review

•  Have automatic times or points when reviews will take place. Avoid surprises.

•  Conduct reviews carefully and with sensitivity •  Review staff must independent from the project. •  Review reports need to be used and accessible. •  Reviews support organizational culture •  Project closures should be planned and orderly. •  Certain “core conditions” must be in place to support

team and individual evaluation. •  Conduct individual and team evaluations separate

from pay or merit reviews.

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Key Terms

Lessons learned Organization evaluation Performance review Project closure Project evaluation Project facilitator Retrospective Team evaluation 360-degree review

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